Richard Flint’s career is in disarray. His three latest novels have been destroyed by critics and rejected by readers. His entire existence is teetering on the edge of collapse and there’snothing he can do but pray that he can make a comeback. Then comes the news that his niece has been found dead in her apartment in an apparent suicide.
Flint isn’t convinced, however, and dives head first into a mystery that will change the rest of his life. Soon after he does, another girl is found dead in similar circumstances. What’s more concerning, however, is the fact that the suicide notes are nearly identical. Richard needs no more proof; he’s certain that these aren’t suicides. They’re murders. There’s only one problem. The girls have no connection to each other.
Unable to abandon the investigation, Richard enlists the help of Damien Thurley, a young intern at the New York Times with a mind like a steel trap. Together, they’re drawn into a seedy world of suicide plots, cover-ups, and the darkest murder scheme either of them could imagine.

Here’s my plan: I’ll continue to edit The Guardians, of course, but I’m going to spend my time working on The Kill Circle. The aim is that I can have the novel written and edited by the end of the summer so that I can self-publish it towards the end of the year. I know, I know. I’ve never really considered self-publication much before, but let’s be honest. What literary agent is going to give a second thought to any of my submissions once they see that I’m seventeen? Right now, this seems like the most viable option. This way I can get something out there. No, self-publication doesn’t hold much clout in the publishing world, but it’s something. And that’s all I really want right now. So here we go; it’s time to start work on The Kill Circle.

In the meantime, my attention is going to turn back to The Guardians once more. I’m sick and tired of not having something I can show to someone. I know, I know; it’s nobody’s fault but mine, and I take full responsibility and make no excuses. It’s time to finish this thing and get it moving in the right direction. So, in closing, 2011 has been pretty much a bust in writing, but I’m not gonna let the year go out without getting back to PARADISE LOST. Mark my words, this isn’t over yet!

I’m really loving the character of Molly so far. She’s just now setting out to go home for her father’s funeral, and until now I had never been quite sure of two things: 1.) Why did she leave her home? and 2.) Why is it so hard for her to return? Molly’s one of those characters who has a tendency of talking back to me while I’m writing and making me understand why she does what she does, and I was writing today I came to the realization that the answer to both of those questions was the same. It gave me an extra paragraph and upwards of 100 words. That might not seem like much to you, but it meant a lot to me today, so I give my thanks to Molly Van Saint for being unafraid to tell me exactly what she’s thinking.

Full disclosure, I’ve only got this thing plotted out through the first time Molly hops a train. Beyond that, I’m wandering blind and it’s kind of freaking me out. I know there’s an incredible journey ahead of me and things will start falling into place as I go along, but it’s still a little unnerving letting the characters take the reigns on this one. That’s what has to happen, though. I honestly think Molly has to decide her own journey and I just have to follow along.

For Molly Van Saint, 1937 isn’t just another ordinary year; it’s the year that marks the sixteenth anniversary of the night her father was abruptly taken away from her family’s home, leaving her with a memory that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Now 28 and living in New York, Molly still searches for answers to questions that linger in her mind; why was he taken? Where is he now? Why won’t her mother tell her anything about what happened to him? The questions only intensify when she learns that her father has died. Moreover, he has left her a trunk full of journals and maps that he kept in the years prior to his disappearance. With great curiosity, Molly begins to read them and realizes they are directions to a place her father refers to as “The Land of a Thousand Suns”. Determined to find the answers that have eluded her for so long, she hops a train and meets a drifter named Thomas who accompanies her on her journey and teaches her the art of riding the rails. Together, they set out on a journey across America to find this place, whatever it may be, and put to rest the questions that have haunted Molly since she was twelve.

It’s 1933: the Great Depression is looming over the country, America is growing tense and uneasy, and the Eldridge family and their farm are struggling to hold on. 17 year-old Clifford Eldridge isn’t sure how his family managed to keep their heads above water this long, but as he comes to find out, they won’t be able to keep it up much longer. With a storm looming over the Eldridge farm, Clifford takes it upon himself to find some way to save his family.

Some of the events of the novel are taken from and inspired by stories my family has been telling me about my grandfather and his childhood. For years, they’ve been conveying my grandfather’s past, and somewhere along the line this story in my head began to congeal and I decided that I would just go for it. Right now, I’m aiming to possibly submit it to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition this year. Of course, that means putting PARADISE LOST on hold for a little while, but I’ll still continue to edit it and work on it before I eventually do submit it for representation.  In the meantime, I’m focusing on writing Harvest the Sun, which I’m hoping will end up around 140,000 words. Anyway, I should probably get back to writing, but I just wanted to check in and let everyone know what I’ve been working on this month! Oh, and I’ll leave you with a glance at the mock-up cover for the book:

For Camp, I’ll be working on a new novel for yet another new series (are you guys losing faith in me yet?). The series is currently titled Secrets of the Lost, with the first novel holding the tentative title “Abandon”. Abandon begins when a teenage boy wakes up in the middle of a dense forest with no memory of his past or even his name. He soon discovers, though, that he’s not alone. There are seven other teenagers who also have no recollection of who they are. Uncertain of what to do, they band together and start fighting to survive. When they find a village of eight shacks (one for each lost teen), they realize that someone has put them here for a reason. And what’s even more disturbing? There’s something else out there in the woods, something that wants them dead.

Another project I’ll be working on this summer or possibly early fall will be titled “Thine Own Kingdom”, a standalone novel inspired by the recent controversy involving The Rapture. A small rural town in West Virginia is surprised when renowned televangelist Alfred Tompkins comes to town to host what he proclaims will become an international event. The town, which is heavily driven by its religion, believes Alfred when he tells them that he has spoken to God and has learned that the Second Coming will occur in this place. In the following days, thousands of people flock to the town to prepare themselves while one resident, Peter Sylo, begins to question Alfred and his integrity. Peter organizes a small group that continually challenges Alfred, but when the day of the Reckoning comes, everyone (inlcuding Alfred himself) is surprised when the skies over the town go black and strange lights begin to appear. As events unfold, everyone’s faith is tested and people begin to turn on each other. Who will remain standing when the shadows disappear? God only knows if that will even happen.

Thine Own Kingdom is still a rough concept and will probably change as I go along, but it was nice to sit down and write that little blurb about it. All in all, both these projects are very exciting to me and they’re both kind of a venture away from my normal fantasy genre.

If you recall, last year I began working on a series called The Life and Death of Alex Harker, a series that didn’t quite catch fire with me. Well, I lost all my work on that book in the hard drive crash and the idea popped back into my mind. So this month I’ll be working on the series once again (Now retitled The Death and Life of Alex Harker, which makes more sense given its context in the series). The first book, Moonlight, follows the story of Alex Harker when his life is turned upside down and he’s thrown into the midst of an ancient war between the final two vampire clans. However, as he gets drawn into this world, his sister vanishes and Alex must make a choice; does he try and find his sister, or does he stay and live out what everyone is saying is his destiny? His decision could mean the destruction of the world or the beginning of the final vampire war.

This is really such a wonderful series, and I’m having a blast writing it. The characters and plots have huge potential, so I’m incredibly excited to see where this goes!